List of leading wicket takes : Most wickets in Ashes 2013. - Fast Cricket. List of leading wicket takes : Most wickets in Ashes 2013. Tag Ashes 2013 Batsmen may get most of the lime-light, its the bowlers who seal the match, specially in tests where it's mandatory to take 20 wickets to seal the victory.. In Ashes, a test series that's been going on for over a century now, Jim Laker holds the record of most wickets in a series, dismissing 46 Aussies during that 1956 tour. Laker, the England off-spinner who retired with 193 wickets from 46 tests, got 19 wickets in that Manchester test match alone. He got a total of 4 five wicket hauls and 2 ten wicket hauls on that series and set the record so high that it hasn't been breached since then. Terry Alderman holds the Australian record with 42 wickets in 1981 series.

Alderman didn't get a single ten-for and only 4 five-fors, which shows how consistent he was even every inning to almost match Laker's record. Rodney Hogg, a right arm fast bowler from Victoria who only played 38 tests, Alderman once again in 1989 and Shane Warne, the best leg spinner to have played the game, are other bowlers to take 40 or more wickets in an Ashes series. Note that Hogg and Alderman got 6 tests, while rest only had 5. In Ashes 2013, Graeme Swann started the series slowly but turned it around in the middle, taking two five wicket hauls but Ryan Harris later emerged as a someone out of the blue, inspiring Aussie bowling attack, sadly for not many results. Stuart Broad and Peter Siddle surprising took over James Anderson who was tipped to be the best bowler in the series but has fell behind. Shane Watson bowled very economically, without many wickets. Most wickets | Leading wicket takers in Ashes 2013 so far.

Bowler (Country) 5th ODI : Aussies claim the one day series to continue the pattern. Is it that winning the urn undermines the value of following ODI series or country that wins the Ashes surely has better test side and hence a lesser ODI side? The fact remains, the last time a team won the Ashes as well as the following ODI series was Australia, 4th ODI : England survive McKay's hat-trick to square the series. Often we'll hear commentators joke that the team bowling is fast losing the contest and need a hat-trick but do 3 wickets back to back really assure a win? not really. Today at Cardiff, Clint McKay claimed three wickets off three balls very early in the inning as Aussies came out 3rd ODI : Rain ruins the contest that Aussies were dominating. Aussies will go home blaming themselves for losing Ashes series but rain did hamper their chances in couple of tests and it still isn't favoring them. As soon as limited overs formats have began, visitors seem to have found their mojo but rain washed out 1st ODI and today again, 2nd ODI : Captain Clarke leads the way, Aussies draw first blood.

There's a certain mix of caution and aggression that a team needs to find in order to excel in limited over formats. Aussie batsmen, who struggled through the test series, seems to found that perfect blend recently, scoring freely without gifting wickets to oppositon. After explosive show in 1st T20 1st ODI : Persistent rain forces no result without a ball bowled. This is the final leg of English summer but we hardly had any warmth in the weather today as it poured down at Headingley and forced umpires to call off this 1st ODI between England and Australia as a no result.. It was coming down heavily overnight and puddles were BBC SPORT | Cricket | Ashes countdown - all the numbers Printable version Ashes countdown - all the numbers BBC Sport's Ashes countdown ticked down in the lead-up to the first Test between England and Australia at Lord's.

1 - Test matches won by England in each of the last two Ashes series (Thanks: Joe Cooper) 2 - Members of current Aussie side - Warne and McGrath - in the top five Test wicket-takers 3 - Centuries Michael Vaughan hit on the last Ashes tour (Thanks: Paul Cains) 4 - Test partnership records at Trent Bridge held by Australians 5 - Number of England captains employed in 1989 series, which they lost 4-0 6 - Score made by Steve Waugh in his final Ashes innings, in Sydney, 2003 7 - Times England have won or drawn the series after losing the first match 8 - Hat-tricks taken in Ashes Tests, the most recent by Darren Gough in 1999 9 - Wickets in an Ashes innings, taken by Arthur Mailey (1921) and Jim Laker (1956) 10 - Wickets taken in a single innings by Jim Laker at Old Trafford in 1956 11 - Days of Test cricket before Australia won the 2001 series (Thanks: Michael Dolan) 12 - Runs scored by Ian

 Botham in his final Ashes Test, at Trent Bridge in 1989 13 - Wickets taken by Bruce Reid (for 148) in second Test at Melbourne in 1990 14 - Number of Ashes half-centuries by Steve Waugh (who hit 10 centuries) 15 - Most career wickets by an Australian at Edgbaston, by Shane Warne 16 - Number of years Australia have held the Ashes since winning in 1989 17 - Scored by Allan Border in his final Ashes innings, at The Oval in 1993 18 - Scored by Don Bradman in his first Ashes innings at Brisbane in 1928 (Thanks: Chetiya) 19 - Dennis Lillee's score when he was caught Willey bowled Dilley at Perth in 1979 20 - Number of years since England won a home series against Australia (Thanks: Waqas Kaiser) 21 - Tests played by Harold Larwood, stopped abruptly after Bodyline 22 - Runs scored by Norman Cowans in his only innings in the 1985 Ashes

 series 23 - Shane Warne's age when he made his Ashes debut in 1993, and bowled Mike Gatting first ball 24 - England players used in 1993 Ashes series, against Australia's 13 25 - Scored by Ian Botham on his Ashes debut at Trent Bridge back in 1977 26 - Number of wickets taken by Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall in the 1953 series 27 - Runs conceded by Frank Tyson in taking seven wickets in 1954/5 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 28 - Balls Ian Botham needed to take five wickets for one run at Edgbaston in 1981 (Thanks: Jim Goldstraw) 29 - Ashes Tests captained by Australia's Allan Border - a record 30 - Number of runs by which England won the opening match of the inaugural Blind Cricket Ashes Series in August 2004 (Thanks: Joanne Clay) 31 - Most stumpings by a player in Ashes Tests, by Australia's Bert Oldfield 32 - Catches taken by Richie Benaud in 

27 Ashes Tests (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 33 - Number of Ashes Tests played at Lord's - England have won 13 34 - Number of pairs (nought in both innings) made in Ashes Tests 35 - Scored by Denis Compton (unbeaten) in his final Ashes innings in 1956 36 - Lowest Ashes team total, made by Australia at Edgbaston in 1902 37 - Runs conceded by Jim Laker in taking nine wickets in innings at Manchester in 1956 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 38 - number of 10-wicket match hauls taken by England against Australia, who have three more 39 - Harry Makepeace's age (and 173 days) in 1921, when he became the oldest player to score a maiden Ashes Test ton 40 - scored by Phil DeFreitas on his Test debut at Brisbane in 1986-87 as England began that famous series with a win 41 - number of Ashes Tests in England, out of 146, won by the home side 42 - most

 wickets by an Australian in an Ashes series, by Terry Alderman in 1981 43 - the number of Ashes Tests played by Colin Cowdrey, an England record.

44 - Wickets taken in Ashes Tests by former England skipper Tony Greig 45 - In runs the margin of victory for Australia in the first ever Ashes Test in 1877 (Thanks: Jay Hanmantgad) 46 - Most wickets in an Ashes series, by England's Jim Laker in 1956 (Thanks: Ian Randall) 47 - Michael Atherton's score on Ashes debut at Trent Bridge 1989 (Thanks: Tim Dart) 48 - Geoff Boycott's score on debut at Nottingham in 1964 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 49 - Age of the oldest Ashes debutant, England's James Southerton in 1877 50 Age of Australia's Bert Ironmonger when he played his last Ashes Test in 1933 (Thanks: Jim Goldstraw) 51 - Overs Tom Veivers bowled unchanged at Manchester in 1964 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 52 - Number of 'tinnies' David Boon drank on the flight to England in 1989 (Thanks: David Michie) 53 - Runs conceded

 by Jim Laker in taking 10 wickets in an innings in 1956 54 - Jack Hobbs batting average in Ashes Tests - 3,636 runs in 71 innings 55 - the number of dismissals by Australian keeper James Kelly (1896-1905) in Ashes Tests 56 - Sir Donald Bradman's batting average in the Bodyline series of 1932/33 (Thanks: Divya Narayan) 57 - Total made by England to win their first ever Test at home, in 1880 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 58 - Australia's second innings total in the 1936 Brisbane Test - England won by 322 runs 59 - the number of innings played by Ian Botham in Ashes Tests 60 - the wickets taken by Australia's Ernie Jones in 18 Ashes Test from 1894 to 1902 61 - Highest Extras total in an Ashes innings, in Australia's 602-6 dec at Trent Bridge in 1989 62 - England's winning margin in the

 first ever seventh Test at Sydney in 1970/1 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 63 - Scored by Victor Trumper of Australia in Sheffield's only Test in 1902 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 64 - Ashes wickets taken by England's Harold Larwood (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 65 - Number of first-class wickets taken by uncapped Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait last winter 66 - Australia's second innings total to lose by a record 675 runs at Brisbane in 1928/9 67 - Maidens bowled in England's highest ever score - 907-3 dec in 1938 (Thanks: Graeme Hutchison) 68 - Scored by Trevor Bailey in his 458-minute Ashes marathon at Brisbane in 1958-59 69 - Wickets taken in 22 Ashes Tests by England fast bowler Brian Statham 70 - Australia's second innings total at Old Trafford in 1888 - they lost by an innings and 21 runs 71 - Years since England have won an Ashes Test at lords (Thanks

: Ian Wilkinson) 72 - Nasser Hussain's score in his last Ashes innings, at Sydney in 2002/3 (Thanks: Rajiv) 73 - Made by Aussie Bill Woodfull, carrying his bat in infamous third Test of the Bodyline series 74 - Scored by Australian tailender Geoff Lawson (career average 15.96) to frustrate England at Lord's in 1989 75 - Minutes taken by England's Gilbert Jessop to make his century at The Oval in 1902 76 - Ashes dismissals by England's Godfrey Evans (ct 64, st 12) in 31 Tests (Thanks: G Gollinger) 77 - Allan Border's score in his fifth and final Lord's Test in 1993 (Thanks: Janis Frisvalds) 78 - Australia's score at Lords in 1968, David Brown taking 5-42 (Thanks: Will Symonds) 79 - Total England were bowled out for in the first Test of 2002-3, having been set 464 to win (Thanks

: Rob Hall) 80 - Runs conceded by Hedley Verity for 14 wickets at Lords in 1934 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 81 - England captain David Gower's average in the 1985 series (81.33 to be exact) 82 - Alec Stewart's average against Australia when batting at seven (Thanks: Brian Still) 83 - scored by Jack Hobbs on Ashes Test debut at Melbourne in 1907/08 (Thanks: Wyn Matthews) 84 - Number of individual England centurions in Ashes Tests 85 - Target England were set to win the second Test on UK soil in 1882 - they were bowled out for 77 86 - Ashes Tests, out of a total of 306, which have been draws 87 - Mark Butcher's score in his second Test, at Lord's in 1997 (Thanks: Tim Dart) 88 - Year (1988) in which the Ashes urn returned to Australia, for the first time since it was presented in 1883 89 - Don Bradman's

 average against England - 89.78 to be exact and 10 lower than overall 90 - Runs conceded by Jim Laker in taking 19 wickets at Old Trafford in 1956 (Thanks: Will Symonds) 91 - Number of balls bowled by Bob Willis as he took 8-43 at Headingley in 1981 (Thanks: Paul Wheeldon) 92 - Age at which the Sir Don Bradman - the highest run-scorer in Ashes Tests with 5,028 - died in 2001 93 - Former Australia captain Allan Border's Ashes bowling average (93.50 to be exact) 94 - wickets taken by Frederick "The Demon" Spofforth - Australia's first fast bowler 95 - number of Ashes Tests, out of 306 so far, won by England (Thanks: Tim Russell) 96 - number of players used by Australia against England when Roy Minnett debuted at Sydney in 1911 97 - number of Ashes catches by Alan Knott - more than any other Englishman 98 - Graeme Hick's

 score at Sydney in 1995 when Michael Atherton declared (Thanks: Frank) 99 - Score both Mark Waugh and Michael Atherton were out for at Lord's in 1993 (Thanks: Rajiv) 100 - Number of Ashes wickets for Aussies Terry Alderman and Jeff Thomson (Thanks: Glenn Allen) 101 - England's first innings score in the first ever Test in the UK, at The Oval in 1882 102 - Steve Waugh's score in his final Ashes Test, at Sydney in 2003, passing 10,000 career runs (Thanks: Janis Frisvalds) 103 - Aussie Dirk Wellham's score on debut in 1981, which was so slow England forced a draw 104 - Total England bowled Australia out for at The Oval to gain a consolation win in 1997 (Thanks: Gavin Hynes) 105 - Number of dismissals (ct 97, st 8) by Alan Knott - most by an Englishman - in 34 Ashes Tests 106 - Wickets taken

 by SF Barnes against Australia in 20 matches, at an average of 21.58 107 - Australia's victory target in their last Ashes Test win, in Melbourne in 2002/03 108 - Total Australia bowled England out for to win first ever Ashes Test 109 - Australia all-rounder Keith Miller's only Ashes century in England, at Lord's in 1953 110 - England batsman Tony Greig's only Ashes century, made at Brisbane in 1974/75 111 - Total England bowled Australia out for at Headingley in 1981 112 - Made by Chris Broad as England won their last Ashes series in 1986/87 113 - Rev David Sheppard's two Ashes centuries - the first at Old Trafford in 1956, the second at Melbourne in 1963 114 - Graham Thorpe's unbeaten score against Australia on Test debut at Trent Bridge in 1993 115 - Australia captain Lindsay Hassett's score in the first innings of the 

1953 Ashes series 116 - First innings totals by Australia in 1978 (Brisbane) and 1995 (Sydney) - England only won the first match 117 - England wickets taken in Tests by Glenn McGrath, at an average of 20.03 118 - Scored in 102 balls by Ian Botham at Old Trafford to win 1981 series 119 - Margin of defeat for England in third Test on 1920-21 tour - Australia won the series 5-0 120 - Score made by England's Archie MacLaren in so-called "match of the century" at the MCG in 1895 121 - Runs conceded for nine wickets by Australia's Arthur Mailey to win the MCG Test in 1921 122 - Australia's first innings total at the MCG in 1904, despite Victor Trumper's 74 123 - Total Australia were bowled out for at The Oval in 1938 to lose by an innings and 578 runs 1

24 - Target needed by Australia to win at The Oval in 1997 - Andy Caddick took 5-42 in a 19-run win 125 - The number of Ashes Tests, out of 306, won by Australia 126 - Amount England trailed in their second innings at Headingley in 1981 when Botham arrived 127 - Australia's Ashes record 10th wicket stand, by Johnny Taylor and Arthur Mailey in 1924-5 128 - Australian wickets taken in Tests by Bob Willis, at an average of 26.14 129 - England's paltry lead after following on at Headingley in 1981 - enter Bob Willis 130 - Ashes record 10th wicket stand, set by England's Tip Foster and Wilfred Rhodes in 1903/04 131 - Don Bradman's score in his first Test in England, in 1930 - he made 974 runs in the series 132 - England wickets taken in Tests by Shane Warne, at an

 average of 23.03 133 - Graham Gooch's score at Old Trafford in 1993 when he became the only batsman given out handled the ball in an Ashes Test 134 - Ian Healy's score in the drawn first Test at Brisbane in 1998 135 - The number of Ashes dismissals by Australian keeper Ian Healy - 123 catches and 12 stumpings.

136 - Made by Mark Taylor in his first Ashes innings, at Headingley in 1989 137 - Geoffrey Boycott's score in his last Ashes Test, at The Oval in 1981 138 - Scored by Mark Waugh on Test debut at Adelaide in 1990/91 139 - The best batting average in an Ashes series, by Don Bradman in 1930 140 - The weight in kilograms of Warwick 'Big Ship' Armstrong, Australia's captain in 1920-21 141 - Number of wickets taken in Ashes Tests by Austalia's Hugh Trumble. 142 - Number of runs conceded by Stuart MacGill for his seven wickets at the MCG in 1998.

143 - Number of balls faced by Adam Gilchrist for his 152 in the first Test of the 2001 series 144 - England skipper FS Jackson's highest Test score, made at Headingley in 1905 145 - Michael Vaughan's sixth century of 2002, made at Melbourne 146 - Justin Langer's score after day one in Melbourne in 2002 - he went on to make 250 147 - Australia's best seventh wicket stand in England, by Steve Waugh and Merv Hughes in 1989 148 - Most dismissals made in Ashes Tests, by Australia's Rod Marsh 149 - Scored by Ian Botham in the famous Headingley win of 1981 150 - Made by Derek Randall to help England to victory in the fourth Test in 1979 151 - Target Australia were set to win the fourth Test in 1981 - they lost 152 - Made by England great WG Grace on his Test debut at The Oval in 1880 153 - Score

d by Australia's Billy Murdoch in the first Test in England in 1880 154 - Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting's highest score against England 155 - Runs conceded, for one wicket, by Martin Bicknell on debut in 1993 156 - Number of Ashes tosses won by Australia, to England's 150 157 - Total scored by an injured Steve Waugh at The Oval in 2001 158 - Total, for three wickets, Australia hit at Nottingham to retain the Ashes in 2001 159 - Total England were bowled out for at Adelaide in the last series 160 - Amount England bowled Australia out for in Sydney to win 1970/71 series Australia vs England 'Ashes' Test Match Series : Record Holders - Fast Cricket.

Australia vs England 'Ashes' Test Match Series : Record Holders Tag Aus vs Eng 2009 A total of 326 tests between Australia and England = 133 wins for Aussies and 102 wins for English boys with 91 draws as we look forward to 2013 Ashes series starting in month of November. Australia and England have played 77 Ashes series till now, with Australia winning 37 of them and England 32 while 8 finished as draws. Interestingly, both teams have whitewashed each other 3 times but more importantly, Australians did it in 2007 before conceding the urn at home first time in over 24 years in 2011. Who are the other record holders? following is a long list of numbers telling you which cricketer holds which record in Australia vs England 'Ashes test series' over the years.. Ask for an Ashes record and we'll try to find you your answer within minutes to some hours.

Best Bowling figures : in an Ashes test match belongs to Jim Laker = 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia from his 68 overs at Manchester in year 1956. Against England, the best best match bowling spell is by Robert Massie for his 16 wickets in at Lords in year 1972. Best Ashes bowling list . Best Bowling figures : in an innings of a Ashes test match = Jim Laker who once got all 10 wickets (and 9 in second innings) in above mentioned match at Manchester. For Australia, Alferd Aurther Mailey, the leg spinner, holds the record with his 9 wickets for 121 runs back in 1921 against England at Melbourne. Highest Partnerships : in terms of runs, is between Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman = 451 runs for 2nd wicket at the Oval in year 1934. For England, Len Hutton once put on 382 runs with Maurice Leyland in year 1938 at the same ground, the oval, for the same wicket, ie, 2nd!

Biggest Ashes partnerships list. Highest Partnership : for different wickets = First Wicket RE Foster + W Rhodes England Highest Score : by a batsman in Ashes test match belongs to Len Hutton's 364 at the Oval in year 1938. Hutton batted for 797 minutes, played 847 deliveries and struck 35 fours in his marathon innings. for Australia, Don Bradman's 334 holds the record which he made at Leeds back in year 1930.. off just 448 balls! There has been a total of 5 triple century made in Australia vs England test cricket and no less than 29 double centuries. List of Highest scores Highest total : was made by England against Australia = 903/7 declared off 335.2 overs at the Oval in year 1938. Australian highest test match score against England has been 729/6 dec at Lords off 232 overs back in year 1930. England highest Ashes total in Australia is 636 at Sydney back in 1928. Highest Ashes totals. .

Largest Victory : in an Ashes test match was when England beat Australia by wooping 675 runs at Bisbane in year 1928. Australia have beaten England by 562 runs, 409 runs and also by over 300 runs seven times. England have registered over 300 run victories thrice. in terms of innings, England once beat Australia by innings + 579 runs at The Oval which leads the list of ugliest defeats. Lowest Total : is made by Australia who were once bowled out for just 36 runs (in only 23 overs) at Birmingham back in 1902. England's lowest team score against Australia is 45, which they made at Sydney in year 1887. Lowest Ashes innings totals. . Most Catches : by a fielder (non wicket-keeper) belongs to Australian Greg Chappell who took 7 scalps in two innings at Perth in year 1974. For England, A Shrewsbury has taken 6 catches in an Ashes test match along with 3 other cricketers who achieved the same feet.

in an innings, record is at 4 catches which has been down by 11 cricketers. overall, Greg Chappell took 61 catches which is most by any fielder in Australia vs England test matches.. for England, record belongs to Ian Botham for his 57 catches against Australia. Most Centuries : in Ashes test cricket is, of course, by Donald Bradman = 19 in all. Jack Hobbs holds England record for most century against Australia = 12. Steve Waugh scored 10 century against England. Most Ashes century list. . Most Extras = is by Australia against England = 61. England once conceeded 52 runs in extras which is their sloppiest fielding performance against Australia. Most games : is played by SE Gregory = 52 Ashes tests. Allan Border played 47 ashes tests while English record is held by Michael Cowdrey = 43 tests against Australia. Most games as captain : is by Allan Border who captained Australia in 29 Ashes test matches. Archie MacLaren holds England record with 22 Ashes tests as captain. Don Bradman captained Australia in 19 Ashes tests.

Most expensive spell : by a bowler in Ashes series has been by LO Fleetwood Smith of Australia who gave away 298 runs from his 87 overs in an innings. IAR Peebles is the England bowler to conceed more than 200 runs in an innings of bowling. Most runs in an Ashes Series : belongs to none other than Don Bradman who made 974 runs at an average of 139.14 on 1930's tour to England from 7 innings of 5 tests with 4 centuries. WR Hammond has English record for most runs against Australia in an Ashes series = 905 from 9 innings of 5 tests in 1928 England tour of Australia. Most Runs : in all Australia vs England Ashes test series is made by Don Bradman who has 5028 runs at an average of 89.78 from 37 games. Jack Hobbs leads England's most prolific Ashes batsman with his 3636 runs from 41 games. Allan Border made 3548 runs in Ashes test series. Full list : Most runs in Ashes career. .

Most Wickets : in Ashes test career is by Shane Warne who dismissed 195 England batsman from his 36 games with a best bowling of 8 wickets for 71 runs. Warne picked up eleven 5 wicket hauls and four 10 wicket hauls against England. Ian Botham has most wickets from England against Australia = 148 from 36 games. Smallest Victory Margin : in Australia vs England test match has been by 2 runs with which England beat Australia at Birmingham in August 2005. By wickets, record again belongs to England who have registered two 1 wicket victory against Australia at The Oval in year 1902 and in year 1908 at Melbourne. Best Wicket Keeper : has been Rodney Marsh who got 148 scalps in his 42 Ashes tests. Marsh is also one of 5 wicket keepers to take 6 victims in an innings of a test match along with Jack Russel, Ian Healy, Alec Stewart and Chris Read (twice).

in a match, GRA Langley of Australia holds the record with total of 9 victims in a 1956 Aus v Eng test match. Rodney Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist have also achieved this feat. FastCricket welcomes your feedback : Howzat! The top 10 individual performances in an Ashes series | talkSPORT Howzat! The top 10 individual performances in an Ashes series It's the smallest trophy in sport, but one of the most prized By Tony Hodson - @tonyhodson1 Friday, August 16, 2013 Last week, Ian Bell became only the third Englishman to score three centuries in an Ashes series on home soil. With that in mind, we pick out the best 10 individual displays in the history of this age-old rivalry... 10) Warne goes down fighting, 2005 It might seem odd to include any performance that featured in an eventually losing cause, but the great leg-spinner’s efforts in his team’s historic demise eight years ago perhaps eclipsed anything else he had produced in one of the iconic Test careers.

Forty wickets at an average of 19.92 puts him fifth on the all-time list of wickets in a single Ashes series – but that he took them at the age of 35, his variation rapidly diminishing as wear and tear took their toll on both shoulder and fingers, only serves to underline just how wily this old dog truly was. He also contributed 249 runs with the bat, including an aggressive 42 that almost turned a dramatic Edgbaston Test in his side’s favour. To confirm, though – it didn’t. 9) Taylor announces hismself, 1989 Future Aussie captain Mark Taylor arrived in England for the 1989 Ashes as a tyro opener with a Test average of 16.75 from two home matches against the West Indies. A weak link for the English attack to target, perhaps? No way, mate. Taylor hit 136 in his debut Ashes innings at Headingley, made an imperious 219 in the fifth Test at Trent Bridge, and overall contributed 839 runs to his side’s 4-0 romp.

To this day, only Don Bradman has scored more for Australia in an Ashes series. 8) Tate makes his old man proud, 1924/25 During the 1902 Ashes, in his one and only Test, ‘Poor Fred’ Tate put down an easy catch in the deep and was duly blamed for England’s three-run defeat. “I’ve got a little boy who’ll make this up for me,” he reportedly said afterwards. And he was right. Well, almost. More than 20 years on, his son Maurice gave an exhibition display on his first Ashes tour, taking 38 Aussie wickets at 23.18. No Englishman has taken more in an Ashes series Down Under... shame his team lost it 4-1.

7) Chef serves up a feast, 2010/11 Only three batsmen have registered more than 600 runs in an Ashes series in Australia in almost 40 years – Michael Slater in 1994/95 and the majestic Michael Vaughan (in a losing cause) in 2002/03, who scored 633 runs at 63.30. But the latter misses out on a place on our list to the man who has led England to Ashes glory this summer. Alastair Cook was imperious in 2010/11, hitting an unbeaten 235 in the first Test victory in Brisbane, and two more centuries in Adelaide and Sydney as England strolled to a 3-1 series win. His 766 runs came in just seven innings and at an average of 127.66 – in Ashes history, second only to a man who is coming up later on... 6) Hammond wallops the hosts, 1928/29 There was little sign of what was to come when Wally Hammond boarded the boat for Australia in the winter of 1928.

Eight games into a fledgling Test career, the Gloucestershire batsman had flattered to deceive with four half-centuries – but he went run crazy in his maiden Ashes series, scoring double centuries in Sydney and Melbourne before thrashing a ton in each innings of the fourth Test in Adelaide. In total, Hammond hit 905 runs, at an average of 113.12, in a 4-1 win for his team. It remains a record for an England batsman in the Ashes (one unlikely ever to be surpassed), and marks the point at which one of the game’s all-time greats was born. 5) Hogg stars in a pig's ear, 1978/79 Kerry Packer and his controversial World Series Cricket decimated Australia ahead of the 1978/79 series, and a team led by the overwhelmed and under-prepared Graham Yallop were duly thumped 5-1 by an England side skippered by intellect-with-a-bat Mike Brearley.

Respect, then, to blond bombshell Rodney Hogg - the Aussie paceman steamed in all summer, taking 41 wickets at an everage of 12.85 and terrorising an elderly Geoffrey Boycott along the way. A quirky soul, Hogg once had his wife delete video footage of him losing his wicket in a Test, saying he did not want his son to think him a coward. 4) Terry's all gold, 1981 Should the fourth best individual display in an Ashes series come in a losing team? Possibly not, but it’s hard to ignore the spectacular Ashes bow made by a 25-year-old Terry Alderman in 1981. The Western Australian bowler took nine wickets on his debut at Trent Bridge, as Australia won by four wickets, and continued to wreak havoc even as his side fell apart in the face of a 'Beefy' onslaught. Alderman ended the series with 42 wickets, which despite his team’s 3-1 loss is still a record for an Aussie in an Ashes series. Eight years on, he returned to take 41 more in a victorious Australian campaign.

In all, 100 of Alderman’s 170 Test wickets came against England. Talk about a specialist. 3) Laker's flood of wickets No-one in the history of cricket has taken more wickets in a single Ashes series than the 46 Jim Laker snaffled in the heady summer of 1956. The right arm off-break bowler had already amassed 20 in three Tests when the series moved to Old Trafford – a turning pitch that looked likely to play into the hands of Laker and Tony Lock, the spin partner with whom he famously didn’t get on. That turned out to be the understatement of the cricketing century, as Laker took 19 Australian wickets in a huge England victory – including a full house of all 10 in the tourists’ second innings. “Jim,” asked his Austrian wife upon his return home that evening, “did you do something good today?” He had indeed – to this day, India’s Anil Kumble is the only cricketer to have emulated him in Test cricket.

2) Botham's Ashes, 1981 If they name the series after you, then the odds are you were pretty good. There is nothing we can write about Ian Botham’s displays in the summer of 1981 that hasn’t already been written, so we will just remind you that, after two Tests of this Ashes series, Botham relinquished the captaincy with his team 1-0 down. His reign of 12 matches had ended winless, and with him registering a pair of ducks in the second Test at Lord’s. We will then remind you of the 149 not out he bludgeoned at Headingley in the third Test, somehow inspiring an England victory when defeat seemed all but certain; and of his figures of 5/11 in Australia’s second innings in the fourth Test at Edgbaston, where defeat had also seemed likely; and of the brutal 118 he hit in the fifth-Test victory at Old Trafford; and, finally, of the 10-wicket haul he picked up in a draw at the Oval in the sixth Test. Some would term that ‘a return to form’.

1) The Don, 1930 Donald Bradman did not turn 22 until after the end of the 1930 Ashes in England. He would have quietly enjoyed his birthday celebrations, however, being that he ended the summer on a winning Australian team, and having accumulated 974 runs in five matches, at an average of 139.14. That he scored those runs across just seven innings is staggering in itself; that those seven innings included scores of 8, 1 and 14 even more so, because that means his other four knocks of the summer were, in chronological order: 131 (Trent Bridge); 254 (Lord’s); 334 (Headingley); and 232 (The Oval). Bradman’s achievements with the bat that summer represent the pinnacle of a career that has never been, and probably never will be, matched. The greatest spell in the history of cricket, produced by its greatest exponent.

The Ashes: England v Australia Test series - 50 days to go - BBC Sport The Ashes: England v Australia Test series - 50 days to go 21 May 2013 The Ashes: England v Australia Venues: Trent Bridge, Lord's, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval Starts: 10 July Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW & via BBC Sport website, mobiles and BBC Sport app; live text commentary on BBC Sport website, mobiles and app In 50 days, the first of back-to-back Ashes series gets under way at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 10 July.

From the number of balls Ian Botham needed to take five wickets for one run at Edgbaston in 1981 to the number of Ashes series won by Shane Warne, here are 50 facts to get you in the mood for what promises to be a thrilling summer: 50 - Age of Australia's Bert Ironmonger when he played his last Ashes Test in 1933 49 - Age of the oldest Ashes debutant, England's James Southerton in 1877 48 - Geoff Boycott's score on debut at Nottingham in 1964 47 - Former England captain Michael Atherton's score on Ashes debut at Trent Bridge in 1989 46 - Most wickets in an Ashes series, by England off-spinner Jim Laker in 1956 45 - Number of Ashes Tests in England, out of 156, won by the home side 44 - Wickets taken in Ashes Tests by former England skipper Tony Greig 43 - The number of Ashes Tests played by Colin Cowdrey between 1954 and 1975, an England record

 42 - Most wickets by an Australian in an Ashes series, by Terry Alderman in 1981 41 - Number of catches held by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting in Ashes Tests 40 - Wickets taken by leg-spinner Shane Warne in the 2005 Ashes series Australia Ashes Tour itinerary 10-14 July: 1st Test, Trent Bridge 18-22 July: 2nd Test, Lord's 1-5 August: 3rd Test, Old Trafford 9-13 August: 4th Test, Durham 21-25 August: 5th Test, The Oval 39 - Age (and 173 days) of England batsman Harry Makepeace in 1921, when he became the oldest player to score a maiden Ashes Test ton 38 - Number of 10-wicket match hauls taken by England against Australia, who have five more 37 - Minutes survived by England's Monty Panesar to bat out the the final day of the first Ashes Test of 2009 in Cardiff 36 - Lowest Ashes team total, made by Australia

 at Edgbaston in 1902 35 - Number of Ashes Tests played at Lord's - England have won 14 34 - Number of Ashes series since the resumption of competition after World War II 33 - Wickets taken by Australia fast bowler Jeff Thomson in the 1974-75 Ashes series 32 - England arrived in Australia for the 1932-33 series armed with controversial Bodyline tactics - they won the series 4-1 31 - Most stumpings by a player in Ashes Tests, by Australia's Bert Oldfield 30 - Number of Ashes series won by England.

Australia have 31, five have been drawn 29 - Ashes Tests captained by Australia's Allan Border - a record 28 - Balls Ian Botham needed to take five wickets for one run at Edgbaston in 1981 27 - England's women regained the Ashes after a wait of 42 years with a six-wicket win against Australia on 27 August 2005 26 - Weeks it will take for the two back-to-back Ashes series to be completed in 2013 and 2014 25 - Mark Waugh scored a century on debut against England on 25 January 1991 - he replaced his brother Steve in the side 24 - Number of wickets taken by England's James Anderson in the last Ashes series 22 - Age of Len Hutton when he made 364 for England in the 1938 Ashes Test at The Oval - the record Ashes score 21 - Tests played by England fast bowler Harold Larwood, stopped abruptly after the Bodyline series 20 - Number of Ashes Tests played by current Australia captain Michael Clarke, the most of any

 member of the current sides 19 - Dennis Lillee's score when he was caught Willey bowled Dilley at Perth in 1979 18 - Ashes Tests captained by Mike Brearley - the most by an Englishman 17 - Allan Border's score in his final Ashes innings, at The Oval in 1993 16 - Number of years Australia held the Ashes between 1989 and 2005 15 - Honours awarded to England's team and management after the 2005 series 14 - Don Bradman is bowled for a duck by England's Eric Hollies in his final Test on 14 August 1948 - he needed four runs to secure a batting average of 100 13 - Wickets taken by Australia left-arm pace bowler Bruce Reid (for 148) in the second Test at Melbourne in 1990 12 - Runs scored by Ian Botham in his final Ashes Test, at Trent Bridge in 1989 11 - Days of Test cricket before Australia won the 2001 series 10 - Wickets

 taken in a single innings by Jim Laker at Old Trafford in 1956 - he had taken nine in the first innings 9 - Hat-tricks taken in Ashes Tests, the most recent by Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle in 2010 8 - Times England have won or drawn the series after losing the first match 7 - Ashes series won by Shane Warne 6 - Number of England batsmen who made centuries in the 2010-11 Ashes 5 - Australia's 5-0 defeat of England in 2006-07 was the first Ashes whitewash in 86 years 4 - Test hundreds made by Michael Clarke against England 3 - Centuries made by Australia in 2010-11.

England made nine 2 - Number of runs England won by in the 2005 Edgbaston Test 1 - Total number of Ashes Tests in which Michael Clarke or Alastair Cook have captained - Clarke captained Australia in the final Test of the 2010-11 series

Question: Which English bowler has taken the most wickets (46) in an Ashes series?
Answer: JIM LAKER